RANGELEY HIGHLANDER • December 7, 2025
A new conservation project in Dallas Plantation in Franklin County will support a wide range of outdoor recreation activities and sustainable forestry while protecting older forests and sensitive habitats. The South Branch Forest, an ecologically diverse, 3,586-acre parcel at the headwaters of the Kennebec River watershed, has been permanently protected, the Trust for Public Land announced Wednesday. The property serves a conservation corridor in western Maine and Canada, a “critical ecological connector” linking over 200,000 acres of conserved lands, officials said. The land will be managed to support multiple goals, including “guaranteeing public access for residents and visitors; enhancing experiences along the Northern Forest Canoe Trail; and supporting Maine Won’t Wait, the state’s climate action plan, through carbon sequestration, carbon storage and nurturing a mature forested environment.”